U.S. to Join Russia’s Moscow Song Contest Revival Amid Political Tensions
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The United States will take part in a Russian-led revival of a Soviet-era song contest, a move drawing attention as Moscow seeks to showcase ties with a roster of allied and authoritarian states.
The competition, known as Intervision, is scheduled for Sept. 20 in Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin reintroduced the event this year after the country was expelled from Eurovision following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. He appointed Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko to head the organizing committee.
Among the nations set to participate are Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Venezuela, Serbia, Cuba, Qatar and Kazakhstan. Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry condemned the contest as “an instrument of hostile propaganda and a means of whitewashing the aggressive policy of the Russian Federation.”
The U.S. will be represented by Brandon Howard, who performs under the stage name B. Howard. Organizers announced his participation on Telegram, saying his music “transcends borders and unites cultures.”
Howard has been the subject of speculation that he is the son of Michael Jackson, though no evidence supports the claim. Jackson’s father, Joe, managed Howard’s mother, singer Miki Howard, during her career.
Russia will field pro-war pop singer Shaman, whose real name is Yaroslav Yuryevich Dronov. He has been sanctioned by the European Union for taking part in Kremlin-organized concerts.
Intervision was originally staged between 1965 and 1980 in communist Czechoslovakia as a counter to Eurovision.
